Park Avenue Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff place children and their families at the heart of everything they do. They provide a warm welcome and get to know each child well when they start to attend. Staff create a stimulating environment with a variety of resources based on children's interests. Children enjoy exploring the different areas of the pre-school and independently accessing activities. For example, children access the cosy corner and select their favourite books, which staff read to them. Staff support children to extend their thoughts and ideas through positive interactions, helping children play amicably and develop their imaginary play ideas. This helps children thoroughly enjoy their time at the pre school.

Staff spend one-to-one time with children to help build strong bonds. This helps children settle well and enjoy close and nurturing relationships with staff. Children generally behave well and learn rules that teach them about respect and acceptable behaviour, such as 'good listening'. Independence skills are regularly supported by staff. Children demonstrate a good understanding of their own self-care needs. Children wash their hands before eating snack, and after going to the toile and blow their own noses and place tissues in the dustbin.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• Staff observe children as they play. They use their assessments well to identify what individual children need to learn next. Staff quickly recognise if gaps emerge in children's development. They swiftly implement targeted plans and where appropriate and seek the support of outside agencies, to ensure that children's needs are consistently met.
• Children enjoy regular opportunities to share books and stories. Staff enhance children's experiences using familiar stories. For example, staff read 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' story. Children are encouraged to recall the story while they cut real fruit and talk about the taste of each fruit. Staff introduce new and interesting words, such as 'crunchy, sweet and sour' as they taste pears, plums, strawberries and watermelon. Opportunities such as these, help to develop children's language skills and a love of literacy.
• Staff support communication development well. They engage children in exciting games and talk to them about their activities. These interactions enhance children's conversational skills. Staff also use imaginative play opportunities to build on children's vocabulary. For example, as children wrap bandages on their dolls and practise brushing teeth using large brushes and toothpaste, staff teach them words, such as 'decay'.
• Staff interact well with children. Overall, they encourage children to be curious and to investigate their ideas. Staff ask questions that encourage children to think and solve problems. That said, at times, staff allow more confident children to take the lead during activities. This means that, occasionally, those less confident or quieter children do not fully benefit from the learning opportunities provided.
• Staff recognise opportunities to enhance children's mathematical understanding as they play. For example, while children cut up strawberries, pears and oranges, staff encourage them to compare them to the size of a watermelon. Children describe each fruit and know which fruit is the smallest and largest size, as they count the number of pieces on their plates. This successfully helps children to build on their mathematical knowledge and skills.
• Staff are highly respectful when carrying out hygiene routines for younger children. For example, staff speak kindly to children and explain what they are doing during nappy changes. Through these effective care practices, children's emotional security is promoted.
• Children demonstrate good behaviours and have a positive attitude to their learning Staff model respectful behaviour and boundaries. Staff use lots of praise to reinforce good behaviour, commenting, 'Well done for tidying up'.
• The close staff team feel well supported. The provider ensures staff receive mandatory training to help keep children safe. Staff are passionate about their roles and work well as a team and to share their training and experiences. However, professional development is not sharply focused enough on staff's individual knowledge. This leads to some gaps in how the curriculum is implemented and applied.
• Partnerships with parents are effective. Staff discuss children's progress with their parents regularly and inform them of their child's next steps in learning and development. Parents value all the fun and exciting activities staff and leaders organise. They feel involved in their children's learning and appreciate the suggestions staff make about how they can best support their child's learning at home. This helps to ensure a consistent approach to children's learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to review children's learning opportunities to enable the quieter children to fully participate
• continue to support staff with their professional development, to develop and enhance their teaching skills further.